Ekhrajiha
Encyclopedia
Ekhrajiha is a 2007
Iran
ian film, written and directed by Masoud Dehnamaki
, set during the Iran–Iraq War.
The film is Dehnamaki's first feature film, after he directed two documentaries about social problems in Iran. Dehnamaki is known to be one of Iran's most extreme ultra-conservatives, with his viewpoints being extremely controversial.
The film had also broken all box-office records in Iran, earning nearly 1 billion toman
only twenty-eight days after its release and finishing its run with over 2 billion toman. Additionally the film is one of few Iranian war movies in which the heroes are extremely flawed and shown to commit acts often viewed as "immoral" by authorities in Iran.
is freed from prison along with his friend Amir (Arzhang Amirfazli). To avoid embarrassment, Majid and his friends have told his family and neighborhood that Majid is returning from Hajj
at Mecca
. His lie though is revealed after some mistakes by Amir and his other friend Bayram (Akbar Abdi
).
Majid has been attempting to show that he is an honorable man so he can marry Narges (Niousha Zeyghami), the daughter of Mirza (Manouchehr Azar); a pious man in the neighborhood. Bayram on the other hand wants to marry Majid's sister Marzieh (Negar Forouzandeh). In order to impress Narges and her father, Majid decides he must go to the front and fight against the Iraqi Army.
Majid, Amir, Bayram, Mostafa (Alireza Osivand), Bijan (Amin Hayai
) and a local musician sign up for the war and head off to training. Here they are met with opposition by Haj Saleh (Mohamad Reza Sharifinia
) and Kamali (Ghasem Zareh), who question their faith as Majid and his friends don't pray, gamble, use foul language, smoke and use drugs. They are eventually kicked out of training but with the help of an acquaintance from the neighborhood named Morteza (Javad Hashemi) they are allowed to go back to training.
Morteza attempts to "reform" Majid and his friends as they go through the last days of the Iran–Iraq War.
's Atash Bas. Tofighe Ejbari
is currently the highest grossing movie of all time in Iranian cinema, with Ekhrajiha in a close second.
Nearly one month after the release of the movie, high quality bootlegs of the movie were being sold in Iran, even though the movie was still playing in cinemas. Dehnamaki accused Hamshahri
newspaper employees of being responsible for the release of the bootlegs.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian film, written and directed by Masoud Dehnamaki
Masoud Dehnamaki
Masoud Dehnamaki is a conservative Iranian activist and one of the founders of Ansar-e Hezbollah. Dehnamaki was also involved in journalist and film making. For decades he has been considered as one of the most extremist members of the ultra-conservative circles.-Early life:Massoud Dehnamaki took...
, set during the Iran–Iraq War.
The film is Dehnamaki's first feature film, after he directed two documentaries about social problems in Iran. Dehnamaki is known to be one of Iran's most extreme ultra-conservatives, with his viewpoints being extremely controversial.
The film had also broken all box-office records in Iran, earning nearly 1 billion toman
Iranian toman
The toman , is a superunit of the official currency of Iran, the rial. Toman, derived from a Mongolian word meaning ten thousand , was the currency of Iran until 1932. It was divided into 10,000 dinar. Between 1798 and 1825, the toman was also subdivided into 8 rial, each of 1250 dinar...
only twenty-eight days after its release and finishing its run with over 2 billion toman. Additionally the film is one of few Iranian war movies in which the heroes are extremely flawed and shown to commit acts often viewed as "immoral" by authorities in Iran.
Plot
The movie, set in 1988 begins when Majid (Kambiz Dirbaz), a local thug from Southern TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
is freed from prison along with his friend Amir (Arzhang Amirfazli). To avoid embarrassment, Majid and his friends have told his family and neighborhood that Majid is returning from Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
at Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. His lie though is revealed after some mistakes by Amir and his other friend Bayram (Akbar Abdi
Akbar Abdi
Akbar Abdi , born in 1960, Tehran, Iran is an Iranian actor and comedian. Akbar Abdi proved his talent through a TV series consisting of children's programming ....
).
Majid has been attempting to show that he is an honorable man so he can marry Narges (Niousha Zeyghami), the daughter of Mirza (Manouchehr Azar); a pious man in the neighborhood. Bayram on the other hand wants to marry Majid's sister Marzieh (Negar Forouzandeh). In order to impress Narges and her father, Majid decides he must go to the front and fight against the Iraqi Army.
Majid, Amir, Bayram, Mostafa (Alireza Osivand), Bijan (Amin Hayai
Amin Hayai
Amin Hayaei Mamadzade , Actor is one of the young stars of the past decade of Iranian cinema...
) and a local musician sign up for the war and head off to training. Here they are met with opposition by Haj Saleh (Mohamad Reza Sharifinia
Mohamad Reza Sharifinia
-Early life:Sharifinia was born on 15 June 1955 in Tehran, Iran. after graduating from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts he married to Iranian actress Azita Hajian, the outcome of this marriage are two daughters Mehraveh and Melika...
) and Kamali (Ghasem Zareh), who question their faith as Majid and his friends don't pray, gamble, use foul language, smoke and use drugs. They are eventually kicked out of training but with the help of an acquaintance from the neighborhood named Morteza (Javad Hashemi) they are allowed to go back to training.
Morteza attempts to "reform" Majid and his friends as they go through the last days of the Iran–Iraq War.
Main cast
- Akbar AbdiAkbar AbdiAkbar Abdi , born in 1960, Tehran, Iran is an Iranian actor and comedian. Akbar Abdi proved his talent through a TV series consisting of children's programming ....
- Bayram - Kambiz DirbazKambiz DirbazKambiz Dirbaz is an Iranian actor.-References:...
- Majid - Mohamad Reza SharifiniaMohamad Reza Sharifinia-Early life:Sharifinia was born on 15 June 1955 in Tehran, Iran. after graduating from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts he married to Iranian actress Azita Hajian, the outcome of this marriage are two daughters Mehraveh and Melika...
- Haj Saleh - Amin HayaiAmin HayaiAmin Hayaei Mamadzade , Actor is one of the young stars of the past decade of Iranian cinema...
- Bijan - Arzhang Amirfazli - Amir
- Alireza Osivand - Mostafa
Supporting cast
- Manouchahr Azar - Mirza
- Javad Hashemi - Morteza
- Ghasem Zareh - Kamali
- Negar Forouzandeh - Marzieh
- Niousha Zeyghami - Narges
- Mina Jafarzadeh - Bayram's mother
- Fakhreddin Sedigh Sharif - Cleric
Response
The movie was not viewed positively by most Iranian critics, and was not awarded any major prizes from festivals. Ekhrajiha was released nationwide in Iran on March 7, 2007, and grossed 1 billion toman in its first 28 days on screen, finishing its nationwide release with a box office take of roughly 2 billion toman. This means the movie at the time was highest grossing movie in Iranian cinema, surpassing Tahmineh MilaniTahmineh Milani
Tahmineh Milāni is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Early life:Milani was born 1960 in Tabriz, Iran. Of Azeri descent, she is the wife of the Iranian actor and producer Mohammad Nikbin.- Early career :...
's Atash Bas. Tofighe Ejbari
Tofighe Ejbari
- External links :...
is currently the highest grossing movie of all time in Iranian cinema, with Ekhrajiha in a close second.
Nearly one month after the release of the movie, high quality bootlegs of the movie were being sold in Iran, even though the movie was still playing in cinemas. Dehnamaki accused Hamshahri
Hamshahri
Hamshahri is a major national Iranian Persian-language newspaper published by the Municipality of Tehran, and founded by Gholamhossein Karbaschi. It is the first coloured daily newspaper in Iran and has over 60 pages of classified advertisement, and is priced at 1000 Iranian rials. Currently, the...
newspaper employees of being responsible for the release of the bootlegs.
External links
- Ekhrajiha at IranAct.com
- Blog containing reviews and information about the movie
- A comic film about a grim subject in The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
2007-04-19, p. 42